Chuck Sweeny: Capital plan a long way from lead-pipe cinch

Tuesday

Apr 28, 2009 at 12:01 AMApr 28, 2009 at 1:41 AM

It’s springtime in Illinois, and in Springfield politicians are engaging in the decade-old ritual of talking about a capital spending bill. Meanwhile, Illinois’ roads, bridges and public buildings continue to crumble.

Chuck Sweeny

It’s springtime in Illinois, and in Springfield politicians are engaging in the decade-old ritual of talking about a capital spending bill. Meanwhile, Illinois’ roads, bridges and public buildings continue to crumble.

This year is supposed to be different. Rod Blagojevich, the stumbling block to passage of a capital plan in previous years, was thrown out of the governor’s office and awaits a federal corruption trial. His replacement, Gov. Pat Quinn, is honest and well-liked. He meets regularly with Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan. Not only does Quinn stay overnight in the governor’s mansion, he’s changed all the light bulbs to save energy.

Quinn is the anti-Blago, so that means we’ll get that capital plan, right? Well, don’t fire up the asphalt machines just yet. Legislative leaders and Quinn must agree on whether Illinois can afford a massive spending plan while raising taxes to reduce an $11.6 billion budget shortfall.

We’ve already had a $3 billion “mini-capital plan.” In addition, Quinn has proposed Illinois Jobs Now, a $26 billion federal, state and local collaboration. To pay for the state’s $8.6 billion share, Quinn would raise the cost of a host of motor vehicle-related fees. Quinn wants to raise the 3 percent state income tax to 4.5 percent, mainly to help the state dig out of that budget hole. Ten percent of the increase would go to the capital plan.

In Illinois, no bill gets through the Legislature without Madigan’s approval. I talked with Steve Brown, his spokesman.

“We’re continuing to work with Quinn and Cullerton to try to get something on the books. There’s no argument about the need,” he said. Finding an appropriate way to fund it “will require cooperation. We’ll use whatever mechanism that is legitimate and will get the job done. Two years ago, a lot of time was spent on gaming. Now, the gaming industry has pretty well collapsed, so I don’t think you can expect them to be participants.”

Brown said Madigan could support a plan to raise the gas tax by 8 cents a gallon, “but the governor has said he will oppose something like that. We’ll try to get a plan done. In the House we need bipartisan cooperation.” Brown said gas tax money can’t be used for nontransportation capital spending, “so we’d have to find another way to fund that.”

Madigan’s first priority is passing a budget. “Funding operation of government ... is task No. 1. I’d say a capital bill, along with various government reform issues we’ve been talking about, is in the next tier.”

Rep. Dave Winters, R-Shirland, said a gas tax of 8 to 10 cents a gallon “is the way to fund infrastructure repairs,” but he’d also end the 5 percent sales tax on gas purchases. I asked Winters to predict the chances of a capital plan passing this spring.

“I’ll give you a leading indicator,” he said. “Does (Attorney General) Lisa Madigan pull the trigger and run for governor? If she does, you won’t see a capital plan because the speaker won’t allow it. If she doesn’t, then I think we’ll see a capital plan.”

The attorney general has not revealed her plans for 2010.

Chuck Sweeny can be reached at (815) 987-1366 or csweeny@rrstar.com.

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